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Travel Rewards Credit Cards

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By helping you earn miles or points toward airfare, hotel stays, and more, travel rewards cards can be a great way to make your next trip more affordable. Whether you're a frequent business traveler wanting elite perks or a family looking to save, you should be able to find a travel rewards card that's right for you.

How to Choose a Travel Credit Card

When deciding on a credit card for travel, you need to decide what type of benefit is most important to you. Click on any of the links below to find out more information about cards that will pay you back in points or rewards for:

Barclaycard Arrival Plus has an $89 annual fee (waived for the first year) and offers 40,000 bonus miles after you make $3,000 or more in purchases in the first 90 days from account opening (worth $400 travel statement credit). Plus, this card earns 2x miles on all purchases, making it an excellent travel rewards credit card to rack up miles with.

If you spend over $1,334 per month on your credit card, consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred. Chase Sapphire Preferred currently offers 40,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months from account opening (worth $500 toward travel rewards when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards). There is a $95 annual fee ($0 introductory annual fee for the first year).

Travel Offers

AirlineIf airfare is your biggest concern, look for an airline credit card to help you earn free flights. Several of these cards include great introductory deals, such as bonus miles, free flights or free checked baggage.

HotelTo save on hotel expenses, consider applying for a hotel credit card. Special offers may include bonus hotel points and free hotel stays.

Redeeming PointsSome travel rewards cards give you points or miles with a particular company’s frequent traveler program, such as United Mileage Plus or Hilton HHonors. Other cards give you points for the credit card issuer’s reward program which you can redeem with various companies.

Also consider how you would like to book your reward travel: some cards require you to book through the card issuer’s website, while others have more flexible options. Be sure to review the card's terms and conditions to see whether it has blackout dates or other restrictions on redeeming points.

Most travel and airline credit cards require very good to excellent credit to apply. Like most rewards cards, travel and airline credit card offers tend to charge higher interest rates compared to other types of credit cards, so if you don't plan on paying your balance in full each month, consider a low interest credit card instead.

Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. This site may be compensated through the Advertiser's affiliate programs.

If you have one luxury in your yearly budget, it should be a vacation. You get some relaxation, some fun, and a lifetime of memories all in an all-too-short amount of time. Plus, you get a much needed break from work – something some employers ...

Travel Rewards Benefit:Use miles for a statement credit toward any airline purchase to any destination with no seat restrictions and no blackout dates. Easily redeem your miles for statement credits toward flights, cruises, car rentals, hotels and more. (Redemptions start at 2,500 miles for $25 toward travel purchases made in the last 120 days)

Get 10% miles back to use toward your next redemption every time you redeem for travel statement credits

Airline Rewards:Earn 2X miles on all purchases - Miles don't expire as long as your account is open, active and in good standing

Hotel Rewards:Redeem your miles toward hotel stays.

Our Review: If you want to earn 2x miles with all purchases and have the flexibility to redeem miles toward any airline purchase, consider the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard. The $89 annual fee card lets you earn miles quickly with no mileage caps. In addition, a 40,000 bonus mile offer makes this card an attractive choice... Read full review

Intro APR for Purchases

Intro APR for Balance Transfer

Regular APR

Annual Fee

N/A

0% for 12 months (must be completed within first forty-five days of account opening)

Our Review: The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers a very generous point bonus and extra travel rewards to those with excellent credit. Keep in mind, the card does have a $95 annual fee. Read on to see if the Sapphire Preferred is worth it... Read full review

Earn 10,000 Starpoints after your first purchase on the Card and an additional 15,000 Starpoints after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 6 months.

Redeem Starpoints for free nights at over 1,100 hotels & resorts in nearly 100 countries and for free flights on over 150 airlines with SPG Flights - all with no blackout dates.

Some hotels may have mandatory service and resort charges.

Starpoints stay active as long as you continue to spend on your Card.

$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $65.

Terms and Restrictions apply.

Airline Rewards:Redeem Starpoints on over 150 airlines with SPG Flights (all with no blackout dates). Transfer Starpoints to more than 30 airline frequent flyer programs, mostly on a one-to-one basis.

Hotel Rewards:Earn 1 Starpoint® for each dollar of eligible purchases. Earn more Starpoints for stays. Redeem Starpoints for free nights at over 1,100 hotels & resorts in nearly 100 countries. Some hotels may have mandatory service and resort charges.

Our Review: A favorite among many travel bloggers, the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card offers travel rewards and American Express customer service for a $65 annual fee. The sign-up bonuses and 1:1 point transfer to other frequent traveler programs make this card a worthy credit card for travelers to consider, even if you don’t stay exclusively at Starwood hotels... Read full review

Earn 40,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months.

Up to a $200 Airline Fee Credit Annually.

To receive the statement credit, you need to select a qualifying airline.

There are no foreign transaction fees with purchases made on your Platinum Card.

Platinum Card Concierge is your personal resource to help secure a last minute restaurant reservation, or shop for a hard-to-find gift.

Terms & restrictions apply.

Airline Rewards:Up to a $200 Airline Fee Credit Annually. To receive the statement credit, you need to select a qualifying airline.

Our Review: The American Express Platinum Card is in our opinion, one of the most prestigious rewards cards on CreditDonkey. It is also one of the most expensive cards we have reviewed, with an annual fee of $450. In exchange for the $450 annual fee, the Platinum Card offers a number of travel benefits and a rewards program... Read full review

Our Review: The American Express Premier Rewards Gold card offers 3x points for flights booked directly with airlines and 2x points at US gas stations and US supermarkets. In exchange, the Premier Rewards Gold card charges an annual fee of $175. Is the annual fee worth it? Read on to see if you can justify the annual fee... Read full review

Travel Rewards Benefits

Travel rewards credit cards not only help you save money on expenses, such as flights and hotel rooms, they also usually offers points (or miles) that can be redeemed toward other discounts or benefits. A travel-focused credit card might also provide additional benefits when it is used to pay for travel expenses.

The majority of travel rewards credit cards work like regular rewards cards, with cardholders earning a certain number of points for each dollar spent on purchases using the card. The difference is that cards focused on travel rewards usually offer bonuses, either when you use them to pay for travel-related expenses, or when you redeem points for travel savings. Some examples may include:

Some cards let you earn double or even triple points or cash back for each dollar spent on airfare or gas, in addition to awarding bonus points when you sign up.

Other possibilities include receiving credits to cover incidentals such as baggage fees, access to special lounges at airports, or concierge services to help trip planning.

Some programs may require fewer points to redeem award flights or hotel stays, particularly if you book through the card issuer’s travel website.

Articles on Travel Rewards

When you travel outside of the country, paying by credit card gets a bit complicated. Most cards charge a foreign transaction fee that adds about 3% to your purchases. If you travel internationally often, these fees really start to add up. Be ...

If you’re looking for a credit card that can take you to Europe and back, you might need to look past what’s already in your wallet. Let’s do a quick inventory: any credit cards with a small chip located on the left-hand side? Put aside any that ...

Thinking of taking a trip around the world? It’s not cheap to travel anywhere these days. The cost of airfare alone can be enough to make you think twice about traveling internationally to one location, let alone take a multi-country journey. ...

Planning a vacation? Hotel and transportation costs are high enough without the added costs of food, entertainment, and attractions. But, there are some easy ways to save money during your trip without sacrificing experience.

We’re all taking more photos than ever. But what are we doing with them? Are they forever stuck in our phones or in the cloud somewhere? Photo sites make it easy to pull out your favorite images and turn them into printable keepsakes and gifts. ...

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Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed on this page are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer.

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